


Off the Ice

by TheMoonByNight



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Are the Best Parties, First Fanfiction, Fluff, Haus Parties, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-19
Updated: 2014-10-19
Packaged: 2018-02-21 17:37:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2476697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheMoonByNight/pseuds/TheMoonByNight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's the preseason and Jack's been especially hard on Bitty lately. Does Bitty react well?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Off the Ice

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ngozi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ngozi/gifts).



> This is my first published fan-fiction for Check Please, and just in general. Let me know any improvements I can make! I was actually supposed to have finished this for ngozi's birthday, and school got in the way... But yeah, here it is!

“Bittle! You need to move FASTER.” Jack shouted, making Bitty blush in embarrassment. It had been months since Jack had yelled at him in front of the whole team, but it seemed to be starting up again as the season got closer.

They’d gotten closer, and Bitty had thought he’d been doing okay for someone who hadn't been on the ice in 2 months. But with the way Jack had been acting, he was starting to seriously doubt that. 

Bitty dismissed those thoughts and skated back to the line. He’d have to concentrate if he was going to try and not get yelled at for the rest of the practice. 

Shitty was shouting something when Bitty has trudged into the locker room after having to stay and have a “chat” (“I know you've been off the ice, but games are stating back up next week. We needed to be at our best game last week and some of us are not even close”)

“Be at the Haus by 9- that’s when shit will get started!” 

“We’re having a party?” Bitty said more to himself than anyone else. He started throwing things into his locker with a lot more force than necessary and almost missed Holster’s reply with all the racket he was making. 

“Yeah. A start of the season party.” Holster said, closing his locker door. Ransom came on the other side of Holster and half smiled at Bitty, sympathetic.

“It’s gonna be swawesome.” Ransom chipped in, looking away from Bitty as they left him in the locker room by himself. He went to shut his locker door after a minute of just standing there, but paused with his hand on the door frame of the thing, maintaining the echoing silence. 

Bitty finally pulled himself out of his thoughts, he started the brisk walk back to the Haus. He tried to clear his head in the chilly fall air, but he couldn't shake the numb, bummed feeling that had been hanging around him since the end of practice.  
When he got back, there was a note left on the fridge ( a place they’d knew that he’d look for sure) for him. 

‘Went out to get some beer and snacks for the party later. If you need any butter or something, hit me up with a text!  
-Shitty’

Bitty sighed in a mixture of relief that he’d get to be alone and disappointment that he didn’t get to go along with everyone. He pulled out the butter and made a mental note to ask them to pick up some more. They’d be gone for a few hours anyway, so he might as well stress bake. At least it would get rid of the stale weed smell that lingered around the house and make him feel a little better. 

2 cherry pies and anew recipe for chocolate chip cookies (which turned out surprisingly well) later, the boys had returned with at the very least 4 cases of beer and a keg.

They were loud and messing up the kitchen he’d just cleaned up, but almost as soon as Bitty put the sweets on the table, they settled down. The boys started a conversation about how big the party was going to be and Bitty leaned against the counter, just listening to them talk.

A small smile played across his lips as Ransom and Holster argued about who exactly was going to get the most girls that night. Watching happy people enjoying his food gave him the best feeling. It didn't take very long for them to finish though, and then they were gone, leaving Bitty alone again the kitchen. 

It seemed like they were leaving him behind in everything- hockey group activities. He knew he was being over dramatic, and that even if it was the case, it was up to him to fix that, but he felt like his feet were stuck in mud and he couldn't do anything even if he’d wanted to. 

“Might as well get ready for the party.” he said to himself, wiping his hands on a towel before walking out of the kitchen.  
He walked upstairs and fell on his bed, eyes locked on the ceiling. He didn't bother to try and fall asleep, and laid like that until well after the party started. 

Bitty started down the stairs when he heard shouting and music starting to blast though the Haus. A beer was shoved into his hands before his foot even hit the floor, and he looked at who had put it there. 

“Hey Bitty,” Holster slurred. “Come on, we’re gonna celebrate!” Ransom, who was standing with Holster slung an arm around Bitty’s shoulder and almost dragged him to where Shitty and Lardo were setting up for an intense game of beer pong, if you wanted to go by the trash talking. 

Bitty laughed a bit and downed half his beer in one go. He laughed, oohed and ahhed enough during the game that he was eventually roped into a game against Lardo, the resident Haus champion. By the time the game was over, Bitty was stumbling around humming “Partition” to himself; holding another, nearly empty beer. 

“Bitty!” As he turned, he was nearly tackled by a high Shitty. It took them a second to right themselves, but Shitty laughed and said something incomprehensible 

“Having fun, huh?” Shitty said still laughing. He kept an arm around Bitty and kept talking. “I know you got yelled at today, but I don’t think Jack really meant any of it. He always acts like this before the season starts, you know.”  
“Didn't he?” Bitty murmured, his good mood popped with the mention of his esteemed captain. He stumbled as Shitty stopped walking and looked at him, his face becoming concerned.

“What do you mean? Jack’s-“

“He’s right. That what Jack is. I haven’t been on the ice and my skating is worse than when I first got here- when I was at my worst. I’m holding the team back because I’m not getting better and Jack’s right.” He paused and whispered to himself, forgetting that Shitty was there. “Sometimes I wonder if I’m ever going to get better.”

He stopped dead at the look Shitty was giving him and realized that all of that had just come out of his mouth. All of the things that he didn't want anyone to know had just come out of his mouth where anyone could have heard him. He pulled himself from under Shitty’s arm and tried to walk away.

“Wait, Bitty, don’t-” Shitty grabbed his arm, but Bitty pulled free and speed walked (well, as fast as he could drunk and through a crowd of people) toward the stairs. In his haste he didn't bother to check who he was pushing past and he bumped right into the person he wanted to see least. 

“Bittle. Are you- wait, what’s wrong?” Jack said blocking the way up the stairs. Bitty started to squeeze past him, for once thankful for his small stature. 

“Nothing wrong. If you’ll excuse me.” He brushed past him finally and almost ran up the stairs till he was he was safely in his room with the door locked. He stopped in the center of dark his room and tried to think about the confrontation that was most certainly waiting for him in the morning. He shook his head and laid on the bed, throwing an arm over his face as his eyes slid shut. 

Jack walked over to Shitty, who was standing against a wall, looking especially thought- that was until he saw Jack.  
“Hey, did you see Bittle come back downstairs? I wanted to talk to him about… um, is something wrong?” Shitty’s entire facial expression had changed. He was angry. 

“I think you need to apologize to Bitty.” He said, standing up from leaning against the wall.  
“Why?” His brow furrowed. Sure, he’d been hard on him, but that wasn't something you apologized for.  
“He literally just told me that he thinks he’s doing worse than when he first got here and that he thinks he’s holding the team back.”

“Well-” Jack started to say.

“No!” Shitty got into his face, and despite him being high as holy heaven, Jack took a stop back. “Jack, Bitty had a concussion. Do you know what that means? It means that his fucking brain got knocked around. He wasn't allowed to play for 2 months because of it. You KNOW that. And you’re saying that he should be better already? I know you go through your own shit, but that’s your shit. You don’t have to force it on everyone else- especially Bitty. Fuck you man. Fuck you.”

Jack tried to say something, but every time he did, one of the things he’d said to Bittle would echo in his head.

‘You need to be better!’

‘You’re holding us back!’

‘We don’t need you if you’re just going to screw up the whole time!’

Jack paled as he realized that he sounded exactly like what he was worried his dad or a coach would say to him. He hadn't realized how incredibly assholish he’d been. 

“I’ll- I’ll go talk to him.”

“Okay.”

Jack trudged up the stairway and was standing in front of Bitty’s bed room door in less than 5 minutes. Another 10 minutes passed with him hesitating to knock on the door, unsure of what exactly he’d say to Bittle. “Sorry” didn't seem like the most appropriate thing to say.

He finally worked up the courage and knocked on the door, his knuckles turning white as he squeezed them into a fist.  
“Bittle?” 

“Yes? Yes, who is it?” came from inside the door, as if he’d woken him up. That added to his points as a great captain.  
There was a rustle and a thud and then the door opened, revealing a messy haired Bitty. There was a piece of it sticking up that Jack had the urge to smooth down, but he kept his hands to himself. 

“Yes?” Bittle said again. When he realized who it was, his entire face fell, which was another kick in the pants for Jack.  
“Did you want to talk about practice again?” Bittle was looking at the floor, the wall, anywhere but at Jack. 

“No actually…. Actually I wanted to apologize. For all of what I said. And being a terrible captain.”

“What?” Bitty looked honestly surprised and that made Jack feel even worse. 

“I've been hard on you when you’re actually doing well.” Jack squeezed his eyes shut before going on. “I've been acting how I was always… How I was always worried my coaches would. It’s not an excuse or anything but everyone’s been looking at me and talking about how well I’ll have to do and-” He stopped, and bit his lip. 

“I’m sorry.” Jack glanced up from his glare at the floor at a half smiling Bittle. He took a step closer and Jack wondered what he was going to do when he opened up his arms. 

“Come here.” Bittle said smiling at Jack. He surprised himself by how willingly he went, and when Bittle took a step back into his room, Jack went along with that too. 

That was how they ended up on the bed, wrapped around each other under what Jack knew were red covers. Jack still had his arms around Bittle’s waist, but he had moved his hands to rest on Jack’s chest. 

It was quiet for several minutes and Bittle’s breathing had evened out by the time Jack spoke again. 

“I am sorry.” He whispered. Bitty’s voice was thick and slurred when he answered. 

“It’s okay. But I’m a little drunk, so let’s go to sleep okay?” Jack nodded, forgetting Bittle couldn't see him in the pitch black darkness that was Bittle's room. Jack closed his eyes and breathed out, smiling as he started to drift off to sleep. 

“Merci, Bitty.”

“Go to sleep Jack!”

**Author's Note:**

> I'm so in love with this the comic and it's characters. Pie and adorable hockey players with nice (and perhaps a lack of) asses... It's a dream come true. I'll definitely be writing more fan fiction, so look forward to it!


End file.
